In Krasnodar Krai, a Jehovah’s Witness woman has been given a suspended sentence.

The Vyselkovsky District Court of Krasnodar Krai has given a 50-year-old Jehovah’s Witness, Irina Ushakova, a two-year suspended sentence for participating in the activities of an extremist organisation (Part 2, Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by the website “Jehovah’s Witnesses. Legal Situation in Russia.”

The prosecutor had requested the same sentence during the closing arguments. The believer did not plead guilty.

The decision was handed down on 4 July. The court had been examining the case since October 2024.

The Investigative Committee accused Ushakova of “taking part in religious-educational sermons,” as well as engaging in religious discussions and discussing religious books, including the Bible.

Criminal prosecution was also initiated against the believer’s husband, Jehovah’s Witness Vitaly Ushakov. He was charged with organising the activities of an extremist organisation (Part 1, Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). Ushakov was detained in February 2022 and placed in a pre-trial detention centre, where he spent almost seven months. He was then transferred to house arrest, and later the restrictions were eased again—to a ban on certain activities. His case is still being heard in court.